Santana and Ringo Starr to Play Woodstock Original Site for 50th

Santana and Ringo Starr were named among the acts who’ll play at the original site of the 1969 Woodstock festival to mark its 50th anniversary.

The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts had previously announced a four-day event in August, matching the original dates of Aug. 15-18, but it updated its plans so that the central concerts are part of a full summer's worth of events titled "A Season of Song and Celebration."

These shows are not connected with the festival helmed by Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang, whose half-centennial celebration takes place in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Bethel Woods announced that a screening of the concert movie Woodstock: The Director’s Cut will take place on Aug. 15, while Starr and the Edgar Winter Band will play on Aug. 16, with Santana and the Doobie Brothers appearing on Aug. 17. Further acts, including those for Sunday, will be revealed soon.

“We are humbled by the interest in the anniversary year, and we realized it was greater than we’d ever dreamed,” Bethel Woods CEO Darlene Fedun said in a statement. “We recognize the importance of this place to so many, and our mission of preservation and interpretation of the 1960s is central to 'A Season of Song and Celebration,' as it provides our guests the opportunity to reflect, to learn and to celebrate the legacy of what occurred here.”

Last month, Carlos Santana – whose performance at the 1969 festival is regarded as a breakthrough moment for his band – explained his decision to sign up for the Bethel Woods event rather than the Watkins Glen one.

“They have an amphitheater there,” he told Rolling Stone. “I’m going to invite whoever is still here, whether it’s Joan Baez or members from Sly Stone, and I’m going to play Santana music. Santana’s going to be the house band, but I want to be able to honor those who are still here and maybe invite rappers like Common or Kendrick Lamar. Santana’s very interested… into connecting with people from seven years old to under 33. I don’t want to be just like a jukebox in the twilight zone, stuck in the ‘60s.”